Mayor Mitch Landrieu is scheduled to fly to Washington D.C. on Thursday for a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, where gun control will be among the topics discussed, and Vice President Joseph Biden, who helped assemble a list of gun control proposals for President Obama, will be a featured speaker.

Landrieu has made reducing gun violence in New Orleans, a city with the highest murder rate in the U.S., the centerpiece of his administration, but has largely stayed out of the debate on banning certain weapons or accessories.

On Wednesday he released a statement calling Obama's proposals, which include a new ban on assault rifles and high capacity magazines, as well as more thorough background checks, a "step in the right direction." But he also encouraged Congress to put more funding into mental health services and local law enforcement.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu is scheduled to fly to Washington D.C. on Thursday for a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, where gun control will be among the topics discussed.Catherine Threlkeld / Times-Picayune archives

"The vast majority of Americans demand leadership on both sides of this issue," Landrieu said. "I look forward to common sense reform on the federal level this year."

There is no indication so far, however, that Landrieu plans to expand on his comments during the mayor's conference, which runs from Thursday through Saturday. He is not listed among the featured speakers, and the committee he leads is the Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment and Sports committee.

The mayor's statement said he plans on being back in New Orleans on Friday.